How Living Assistance Services Helps Seniors with Hearing Loss
Living assistance services professionals discuss how you can help your senior deal with hearing loss in Oklahoma City, OK
What Does It Mean to Be Deaf?
The term deaf is often a blanket statement that is used to refer to everyone who experiences problems with hearing. At home health living assistance services professionals know that the actual term deaf refers to any individual who has very little or no hearing at all. Typically, people who are deaf will use sign language to communicate with those around them.
Since it is often confusing, we wanted to point out that the term hard of hearing is often used to refer to individuals who have a mild to moderate hearing loss and this is the most common in seniors. Hearing-impaired refers to any individual who has any degree of hearing loss.
How Being Deaf Affects Elderly People in the US and Around the World
At home health living assistance services professionals know that the elderly generation is affected by hearing loss and deafness both in the US and around the world. It is important to understand the statistics to truly grasp the idea of how much it does affect seniors. Almost 25 percent of seniors aged 65 to 74 have a disabling hearing loss. In addition to that, almost 50 percent of those 75 and older suffer from a disabling hearing loss. Studies also show that seniors can benefit from hearing aids, but less than 30 percent have used them or do use them.
How to Identify if Your Loved One May Be Experiencing Sign of Deafness
At home health living assistance services professionals say that your loved one may be exhibiting signs that he or she is experiencing problems with hearing if:
- Have difficulty hearing friends and family when visiting them
- Tend to read lips as opposed to listening to what the person says
- Feel frustrated when they try to hear what someone says
- Often asks for people to repeat their words
- Turns the radio or TV up to high volumes to hear it
- Feel isolated or lonely because they cannot hear everything around them
Solutions That May Be Available to Your Loved One
There are solutions available to seniors who do suffer from hearing loss or deafness. One of the first solutions is hearing aid. These aids can help enhance what your loved one hears. The aid can be adjusted to meet the volume needs for your loved one to hear as well.
In addition to hearing aids, there are other assistive devices for your loved one to include signal devices such as fire alarms and security systems that display a visual picture as opposed to an audible sound. There are also listening devices that can help your loved one hear the radio, TV, and more without a problem.
If you would like to learn more about deafness or hearing loss and how it affects your loved one, call Comfort Keepers at home health living assistance services today. We offer quality programs and our care team can help your loved one with all of their needs.
Sources:
https://www.aplaceformom.com/senior-care-resources/articles/hearing-loss-information
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/age-related-hearing-loss
